Brown: We'll still bag good boss

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 10:51:00 – Paris Saint-Germain boss Carlo Ancelotti says the big-spending Ligue 1 club are "in a crisis" after Saturday's defeat to Rennes, which saw them fall to third in the overall standings.

Ancelotti blasted his side for their poor performance as Rennes punished them at the Parc des Princes.

Rennes, who had been reduced to nine men, pulled off a huge shock when Romain Alessandrini scored a fantastic volley in the 13th minute and did not crumble when goalkeeper Benoit Costil was sent off after Nene's leveller.

Julien Feret scored Rennes' winner from a free-kick as the Breton side held PSG back even after Jean Makoun's second-half dismissal.

Ancelotti knows his side quickly need to raise their game ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash away to Dynamo Kiev.

"It is unbelievable. Our attitude out there was not good," Ancelotti told the official Ligue 1 website.

"We have just lost two games at home and that is unacceptable for a team that wants to win the league. We are yet playing as a team and we are going through a bad spell.

"We have to change things and I am going to change things. We need to be more concentrated, more determined and harder. It is not right.

"We need speed and intensity. I am not scared to say it; we are in a crisis.

"We have to emerge from it quickly. If we show character and professionalism we will pull through."

Douglas was a star performer in United's 3-3 draw with Kilmarnock on Friday, setting up Jon Daly for a last-gasp equaliser.

The 23-year-old, who joined from the Terrors from Queen's Park two years ago, struggled earlier in the season as he dealt with a family bereavement.

But his display against Kilmarnock has earned him the praise of his manager, who has now challenged him to consistently showcase his qualities.

"Barry was excellent against Kilmarnock. It's great to see him back as he's had a tough start to the season for personal reasons when his uncle died," Houston told the Daily Record. "But I've always said he's got the capabilities to play in our first team. He hasn't shown it an awful lot as he made mistakes against Kilmarnock earlier in the season.

"But the best way to rectify that is to show what a good player he can be and I thought on Friday he did just that.

"His use of the ball was superb and that's something he also showed against Celtic recently. Now he can hopefully string a run of games together and show the kind of consistency to make me give him a new contract."

The striker's loan is due to end in January but he has been a hit in Scotland and has scored two goals in 11 games since arriving in August.

Dundee boss Barry Smith wants to keep Nish, who has helped in his rock-bottom SPL outfit's recent revival, and hopes new Hartlepool manager John Hughes will soon answer.

Smith said in the Daily Record: "We've made contact with Hartlepool about Colin.

"We want to keep him and he wants to be here, which is important.

"We would like him to stay longer, as he's been doing well, but we'll just need to wait and see.

"John Hughes has only been in the job for a matter of days so we have to wait for them to get back to us."

Pompey have been without a boss since Michael Appleton's departure to Blackpool last month, with Guy Whittingham placed in temporary charge of the League One club. The PST's takeover of the south-coast outfit was given a boost on Thursday when the Trevor Birch-led PKF signed a conditional agreement to sell the club.

Portsmouth are set to lose 10 points when exiting administration and are subsequently likely to be drawn into a relegation battle, yet Brown believes they can still attract high-quality candidates for the job.

"Of course it will (impact on the manager's situation). But, having said that, there may also not be a huge amount of expectation in the first year if we do get those 10 points deducted," Brown said.

"We are looking to build a team and a management team that can be successful over a number of years. After what we have been through over the last few years, I don't think anyone is going to expect things to suddenly magically improve overnight.

"Hopefully we can find someone who can buy into the concept we are trying to achieve at Portsmouth, by making it one of the biggest community clubs, and willing to get on board despite the 10-point deduction."